New York County, New York severe weather history spans 154 recorded events between 1979 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 37.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,684 nationally and #61 in New York.
154
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$114.5M
Property damage
The record
What the New York County, New York severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, New York County, New York severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 51 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 149 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the New York County, New York record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $114.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in New York County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 57 | 0 | $114.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 45 | 1 | $441K | 70 | 1979–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Hail | 12 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 1985–2021 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $30K | F0 | 1995–1995 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
New York County, New York severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in New York County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 2002 | Lightning | CENTRAL PARK | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW YORK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW YORK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2025 | Lightning | CENTRAL PARK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 23, 2024 | Lightning | NEW YORK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW YORK | 0 | 1 | $6K |
| Jul 21, 2006 | Lightning | NEW YORK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The New York City Subway experienced flooding in many areas of the system and the MTA reported that service was extremely limited due to the flooding. This included reports of flooding at the Inwood-207th Street station (A line), excessive water on the tracks of the 2, 3, and 4 lines between Brooklyn and Manhattan, flooding of the N, R, and W lines in Manhattan and Queens, and major flooding at the 28th Street station on the 1, 2, and 3 lines in Chelsea. Service remained suspended on all but four lines at the start of the Thursday morning (September 2nd) rush. Overall the flooding resulted in an estimated $54 million in damage and repair costs to MTA infrastructure.
The New York City Office of Emergency Management reported a few hundred trees down in Central Park, with the most significant tree damage in Western Central park between 90th and 100th Street. Numerous other trees were also reported down in Manhattan, including several on automobiles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,629,477
Population (ACS)
$1.1M
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | DR |
| Sep 2, 2021 | Hurricane | REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA | EM |
| Aug 22, 2021 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HENRI | EM |
| Mar 20, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 30, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Central Park 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in New York County, New York?
154 events are on record between 1979 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $114.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in New York County?
Flash Flood, with 57 recorded events — 37.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover New York County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include New York County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is New York County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates New York County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the New York County, New York severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Nassau County 582
- Niagara County 372
- Montgomery County 528
- Oneida County 1,085
- Monroe County 532
- Onondaga County 760
Cite this page
“New York County, New York.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/new-york/new-york-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.